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Tehran, Pretoria to Deepen Wide-Ranging Relations

Iran and South Africa have agreed to deepen diplomatic, political, trade, economic and investment relations. The agreement came in a meeting between Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari and his South African counterpart, Nomaindiya Mfeketo, in the South African capital Pretoria on Thursday, ISNA reported. The meeting was held under the auspices of the Iran-South Africa Deputy Ministerial Working Group, which is part of the two countries’ joint commission and provides oversight in guiding bilateral relations. The South African Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website that “the DMWG reviewed progress regarding the implementation of mutually agreed upon strategies and bilateral programs of action within targeted sectors of cooperation in, among others, the fields of trade, banking, energy, agriculture, mining, education, health, tourism, defense, infrastructure development, science and technology and manufacturing”. DMWG also identified areas of future cooperation and discussed obstacles to implementing joint projects. The meeting also followed up on the implementation of the outcomes of the April trip by President Jacob Zuma to Iran, in which eight memorandums of understanding were concluded. “In this respect, the DMWG confirmed that solid progress had been recorded,” said the statement.